DPT Portfolios

Professional Goal Statement

After successful graduation from UNC-Chapel Hill’s DPT program, my goal is to be a well renowned and respected physical therapist specializing in the athletic, highly active orthopedic setting. For at least the first year of my career, I plan on starting right away with an orthopedic clinic targeting an active and athletic population. I plan on then furthering my orthopedic physical therapy education by pursuing a sports or orthopedic residency. I want to have a plethora of skills for a wide array of orthopedic conditions to ensure every patient walking into my clinic has the best possible chance of recovery for a long and active life. I then plan to continue working solely with a highly active population using my experiences and knowledge as a former college athlete to help connect with patients for better care. In addition to working with all athletes, I want to pursue working with professional and college level swimmers. My goal for the swimming community is to create an injury prevention program specifically targeting swimmers all around the country of all ages, and create a rehabilitation program for various swimming related orthopedic conditions. Through all of my professional endeavors, I plan on providing a rehabilitation environment that promotes love and passion for a healthy lifestyle.

 

Career Plan

Past Accomplishments

• May 2015: Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from American University
• May 2015 – July 2016: Physical Therapy Aide for Pro Sports Therapy in Westford, Massachusetts.
• August 2016: Enrollment in class of 2019 UNC DPT Program
  • Clinical affiliations
    • June 2017 – Acute Rehabilitation at Pardee Memorial Hospital in Hendersonville, NC
    • March-April 2018 – Outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation at Independence Rehab of New Hanover Medical Center in Wilmington, NC
    • April-June 2018 – Outpatient Neuro/geriatrics at Carol Woods Retirement Community
    • May-July 2019 – Outpatient sports and physical therapy at Architech Sports and Physical Therapy in Charlotte, NC

Future Goals

• Graduate from UNC DPT program in August 2019
• Pass the Federation of State Board Physical Therapy Examination
• 1-3 years
  • Work in an outpatient orthopedic clinic specializing in the athletic population
  • Pursue further education with a sports or orthopedic residency
  • Pass the sports or orthopedic specialist exam (OCS or SPTS)
• 3-10 years
  • Become certified clinical instructor
• 10+ years
  • Work for professional sports team or USA swimming

 

Self-assessment

Strengths

• Interpersonal skills
• Strong desire for professional development
• Athletic background
• Good communication skills
• Experience with multiple aspects of PT

Areas for improvement

• Knowledge of specific sports
• Networking skills
• More involvement with PT advocacy

 

Objectives

• Graduate with Doctoral of Physical Therapy from UNC-Chapel Hill 2019
• Pass Physical Therapy licensure exam in 2019
• Work in an outpatient orthopedic clinic specializing in sports physical therapy
• Complete residency in sports physical therapy and sit for national exam for my SCS
• Obtain a position working for a sports team or USA swimming – 2025-2030

 

Specific strategies

• Participate in ICE to improve my evaluation, treatment, and clinical reasoning skills in the orthopedic/athletic settings
• Complete a capstone project related to outpatient orthopedics and sports rehabilitation
• Continue coaching part-time for a USA swimming club team
• Work part-time for a PT clinic specializing in sports/athletic rehabilitation during DPT program
• Complete 12 week clinical rotation at a sports and physical therapy rotation
• Prepare for licensure exam
• Attend various APTA or NCPTA conference focused on orthopedics and/or athletic populations

Electives

Fall 2018

• PHYT 875 – advanced orthopedic assessment and intervention
• PHYT 870 – integrated clinical experience

Spring 2019

• PHYT 800 – TA for MSK I

Extracurricular Activities

• During my time at UNC, I was fortunate enough to coach for a local swim team called the Aquatic Club of Chapel Hill. I have been coaching for a number of years now and have learned a lot about strength and conditioning. I feel that my knowledge for this sport has given me a great perspective about exercise, conditioning, and biomechanics. Also, coaching allows me to teach movement, which is a large aspect of physical therapy.

Projects/Papers from DPT Program

1. The following link will take you to my capstone project completed in my third year at UNC Chapel Hill. The project involves swimming related injuries and prevention strategies for coaches. I created two PowerPoint presentations and an educational handout summarizing information presented in the project.
   

   Swimming Injuries and Prevention for Coaches and Physical Therapists

2. This Paper I have written is about sub-acromial impingement syndrome. The paper includes current evidence about the pathology, the pathomechanics behind the pathology, assessment, and intervention.

Reflective Statement

Over the past three years, I feel that I have grown significantly in multiple different aspects. Thinking about where I was when I entered the program, I have learned so much about myself, and the world of physical therapy. I had a very narrow view of physical therapy, coming from an outpatient clinic as a PT Aide. I knew about the different disciplines of physical therapy, but never gave much thought to the amount that each discipline co-exist with each other. Today, I feel that I not only have a great grasp on different body systems and how they interact with each other. UNC has done a great job of teaching us the knowledge to succeed in any aspect of PT. I feel that I can now look at patients from multiple perspectives and how I can utilize different “tools” from each discipline to help them. I think the value of that is unparalleled and will only help me as I start to specialize.

I have always wanted to know more about the world of exercise, injuries, and rehabilitation. After seeing so many careers in sport ruined as I grew up, I wanted to know how to fix people and how to help people suffering from pain. I wanted to have the answers for people when they questioned what was wrong with them. The DPT program has allowed me to fulfill this desire far beyond what I had imagined. As great as the education and skills that UNC has taught me was, there was something else that they taught me I find more valuable; the ability to critically think. My critical thinking skills have improved so much since starting the program and I could not thank UNC more. I find myself thinking through each patient situation more specifically to fit their case. I am constantly questioning what the best exercises, manual techniques, and movements are best for patients and asking myself what I can do better. This ability to critically think and adapt to any situation is something I did not have before. Couple that with the foundational knowledge UNC provided and I feel ready to start in the world of physical therapy.

Going forward, I want to further my education by completing a residency in sports physical therapy. My desire to pursue sports physical therapy has not changed in the 3 years here. In fact, it has only enhanced. For the first 2 years post-graduation, I want to practice in an outpatient sports clinic in North Carolina. I want to get my feet wet and learn more about myself as a solo clinician. After that, I want to complete a sports residency to further my education in this world of physical therapy. In addition, I want to complete many different continuing education courses to further enhance my knowledge and skills for intervention. One of my more lofty goals is to become a premier physical therapist in the world of competitive swimming. I love the sport and want nothing more than to help swimmers get back in the pool and avoid injury. I would love the chance to work with the US national team as the team physical therapist. Wherever my career takes me, I am grateful for UNC and how much the program has taught me. I cannot wait to take this knowledge and pursue my goals as a practicing physical therapist.

 

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